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Baseball Hitting Drills - Tips and Drills For Using Hitting Stick Trainers

By: Nick Dixon - Product Inventor

There are many versions of the "ball-on-a-rod" trainer. The first and original version was the HitnStik*. Then later came other versions including the Hit2win Trainer^ and the SKLZ Target Trainer. All of these are handheld units. They have different names but they all are great trainers to teach and train young players. All of these baseball trainers basically work and perform the same. These trainers are some of the most popular baseball batting trainers used today.

The popularity come from the benefits they offer the baseball player, baseball coach, and the baseball parent. You can learn to hit without having to chase, pick-up or retrieve a single ball. The unit is portable and requires no setup. It is welcomed in complexes and parks because it allows safe pre-game warm-up, requires little space, and does not damage fences. It is important to know the proper angles when using this product.

As the inventor of the HitnStik*, Hit2win Trainer^, and SKLZ Target+ Trainer, I sometimes cringe when I see someone using the product incorrectly. First, the product is to be used as a "still" ball trainer. You should not move the ball when using these trainers. Second, the holder must stand at the proper angle to the batter and direct the ball at the correct angle to the batter. I often see coaches and parents working with players when I visit a park. I sometimes get frustrated because I observe the product being used incorrectly.

The key to proper use of any hand-held batting device is KNOWING AND USING THE CORRECT ANGLE FOR THE DRILL YOU ARE DOING! If you do not direct or point the ball at the proper angle, the batter will always make poor contact. The first thing to remember is that the holder should always direct the rod and ball toward the hitter's back foot. This simple rule insures that proper bat-to-ball contact is made. If the angle is wrong, the end of the bat will hit behind the ball and the bat will never actually touch the ball. This is what I call "coning out".

The 4X5 Baseball and Softball Pre-game Warm-up Drill

The batter takes 5 swings at 5 different ball locations. Remember to direct the ball toward the belly button or back foot of the batter.

1. HIP TURNER LOCATION - The holder stands slightly behind the batter directing the ball at the batter's bat pocket. The purpose of these swings is to make the batter use the hips as the batter turns and hits the ball. The batter should take a step and drive the ball.

2. INSIDE STRIKE - The holder moves toward the direction of the pitcher from the batter. This location simulates hitting a pitch over the inside 3rd of the plate. The ball should be positioned slightly in front of the batters front foot. The batter should attack the inside strike earlier to keep from getting jammed.

3. MIDDLE STRIKE CONTACT - The holder will move around a couple more feet. The ball will be positioned in a location behind the front foot. The batter will drive the bat through the box. The ball hit is on the middle 3rd of the plate. The ball should be positioned at a location inside the batters front foot. This teaches the batter to allow the ball down the middle to get inside the front foot so that maximum power can be generated during the swing. Allowing the ball to pass inside the front foot allows the batter to use the front foot and leg as a anchor and leverage to generate a more powerful swing.

4. AWAY STRIKE LOCATION - The holder will move around a couple more feet to give the batter a ball to hit that is on the outer 3rd of the plate. The ball should be at a location just inside the batters back foot. The batter swings and drives the ball in a direction that would be to the opposite field. The batter may have to take a slight inward step with the front foot to properly execute this swing.

The holder changes location and height and allows the batter to take 6 swings at each location. Every player on the team can take 30 warm-up swings each in less than 10 minutes.

Coaching Points:

1. Make sure the ball is directed at the batter's back foot.

2. Make sure the batter does not over stride.

3. The batter should keep the head still and the head should stay down with the eyes on the ball throughout the swing.

4. The batter does not move. The holder will change the location of the ball by moving.

5. The height of the ball should be raised and lowered in the strike zone to give the batter swings at both high and low strikes.

6. Make sure that the hitting area is safe with no one within 15 feet of the holder or the batter.

7. Make sure that the batter is swinging in a direction that is free of persons should the batter lose the grip on the bat.

8. Check to make sure the batter is using proper grip, stance and stride mechanics.

9. Positive reinforcement should be given when the batter makes good solid contact.

10. The holder should make sure that the trainer safety strap is used to prevent the holder from losing their grip on the trainer when the batter hits the ball.

*HitnStik is a registered trademark belong to Easton Sports. ^Hit2win is a registered trademark of Nedco Sports Products. +SKLZ Target is a registered trademark of Pro Performance Sports.


The CoachesBest Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.

Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon

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Baseball Swing - Three Core Movements

By Nate Barnett

When I teach hitting (or pitching for that matter) there are a few important core movements that if accomplished will lead to a greater chance that other movements further in the baseball swing process will be successful. Keep in mind that there are quite a few significant movements within the complete baseball swing. Please don't think the below is an exhaustive list.

Core Hitting Movements:

1. The load. Movement backwards where weight is stacked on back leg is valuable so as to make sure the back knee and hip are fully involved in the triggering (power creation) process. Without the load, little power can be effectively generated with the lower half and therefore, the front hip or hands will begin to take over to compensate (a bad thing).

2. The trigger. Movement forward with the back knee and hip are essential. If the front side (leg and hip mostly here) are doing their job, then the rotation with the back side first will create torque in the swing and allow the upper body to then whip through the bat through the zone.

3. Front side stability. I teach a lot on the lower half of the body. It's the source of the power. If it is not under full control, the upper half must work extra hard, sometimes too much in creating energy while hitting a baseball. Therefore, the front knee and hip should remain closed off to the pitcher as the back side begins it's initial movement. As the rotation continues, the front side will give way and allow full hip rotation to continue. If control of the front side initially is accomplished, the results will be energy (not to be confused with weigh transfer) being directed back into the pitch. If there is little front side control, meaning the hips begin to open too soon, the energy will not be directed into the pitch, but instead away from the plate.

As always, pictures or videos provide the best example for baseball instruction. However, understanding what one is looking at while viewing pictures or videos is the most important part in understand a fundamental baseball swing.

Nate Barnett is owner of BMI Baseball designed to improve the mental game of baseball in athletes. Learn how to help your game by improving the skill of mental baseball.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nate_Barnett

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Important Pitching Mechanics Tips You Need to Know

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Important Pitching Mechanics Tips You Need to Know
By Nate Barnett

One of the most important steps to becoming a successful pitcher is to ensure you throw with proper pitching mechanics. Great mechanics begin with appropriate balance and weight transfer toward the direction you are throwing. If there is any inappropriate head movement up or down, left or right or even any weight going in any other direction than toward home plate, you are mechanically insufficient. Many pitchers tend to struggle with their throwing mechanics. Are you one of them? Here are some helpful tips you should know about pitching mechanics.

1. Pitchers need to make sure their momentum is going in one direction, forward! However, there is more to pitching mechanics than merely making sure your momentum is going toward home plate. Pitchers need to use explosive movements to create sufficient energy for an explosive fastball. Many pitchers are lazy and get in the habit of getting to foot strike tortoise like. This creates no power in their delivery at all. These pitchers are often seen giving up the long ball and throwing batting practice in games as hitters tee off on their lackadaisical approach.

2. During a pitchers transition to foot strike, using these explosive movements; it is imperative that a pitcher keep his head over his center of gravity, belly button, or slightly behind the center of gravity when they transfer their weight from one foot to the other. Many pitchers have the issue of staying back to long which can create arm lag.

3. We talked about explosive movements toward home plate, but how long should your stride be? Your stride should be as long as you are tall. If your stride is shorter than 100% of your height you should be working on lengthening your stride. A longer stride creates more power toward the direction of your throw, a shorter stride places more stress on your throwing arm because you have to rely on your arm for the velocity as apposed to first using your legs to generate it. Another advantage of having a longer stride is perceived pitching velocity. Every foot closer you are to the batter at release of the baseball at sixty feet six inches away, it "appears" like 3 mph faster to the batters eye. This gives the batter less time to react to each pitch you throw.

4. The next step to create optimal balance in your delivery is making sure your throwing arm and glove arm mirror each other. I believe pitching instructor Tom House coined the term "equal and opposite" for this mechanical process. This means that your glove arm and your throwing arm create the same angle at foot strike. You will see different styles of how to do this in our pitching mechanics DVD. You have to see it!

5. One of the more challenging aspect coaches face when learning about pitching mechanics is their misunderstanding of mechanical terminology. For example, there is still a lot of confusion about arm slot and arm path when a pitcher releases the ball. What arm slot is the best? What does this mean exactly? These are common questions pitchers ask me all of the time. The answer is whatever arm slot is natural for you. You don't want to force a 90 degree arm slot on a pitcher when they naturally throw three quarter. In fact, most pitchers tend to throw with a natural three quarter arm slot.

There is a lot of science to pitching mechanics. The Pitching Academy breaks this all down for you if you're looking for more information. Pitching mechanics should be easy to understand for anybody who is eager to learn; we keep the science into pitching, but you will be surprised how simple it is to learn proper mechanics.

Nate Barnett is co-owner of The Pitching Academy.

After finishing a professional career in the Seattle Mariners Organization, Nate pursued his coaching and motivational training career. You can find The Pitching Academy's videos, blog, and more articles on pitching mechanics the website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nate_Barnett

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The Categories they have are: BatAction Hitting Machines, Hurricane Hitting Machines, Batting Cages, Pitching Machines, Jugs Equipment, Game and Practice Baseballs, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, Portable Pitching Mounds, Baseball DVDs & Books, Clearance Items on Sales, NEDCO Bataction Replacement Parts, Baseball Training Equipment, Youth Baseball Training Equipment, Training Bats, Pitching & Throwing Trainers, Defensive Trainers, SKLZ Hurricane Replacement Parts and Much Much More! Visit Baseball2U.com today!

Little League Digest - Proper Baseball Swing Mechanics and the "Belly Button" Rule of Hip Turn

Little league Digest: Baseball Batting Coaching Tips: Teaching Hip Turn Mechanics and Using the "Belly Button" Rule to Improve Baseball Swing Quality

The hips play an important part in the baseball swing process. The turn of the hips helps to generate power and bat speed. There are several important coaching points about the involvement of the hips in the swing. The "B B" rule is one good way to teach young players the degree of hip turn on various pitch locations. This article presents several coaching points and explains the "B B" rule.


By Nick Dixon



Here are 10 Coaching Points related to Hip Movement Mechanics:

1. The degree of hip movement is determined by the location of the pitch.

2. The hips must turn more when hitting an inside pitch.

3. The hips will turn less when hitting a pitch away.

4. The hips should not move before the hands and bat.

5. To free the hips, the back foot must spin, rotate or turn onto the toe.

6. The hips follow the barrel. The hips should open behind the barrel, not before it.

7. Premature front side or hip movement will cause a batter to pull the head and to pull of pitches.

8. The correct hip movement is a spin. Lunging or sliding the hips forward is not acceptable.

9. The hip movement should be a thrust or fast rotation. The faster the rotation of the hips, the faster the bats speed.

10. The degree of hip rotation can be taught by teaching the "Belly Button" rule as explained below.

The "Belly Button Rule" is explained as the following:

The Belly Button should follow the barrel of the bat through the baseball swing process. The location of a pitch determines hip turn. The degree of hip turn determines where the belly button is pointing when the batter finishes the baseball swing. The belly button should always finish in a position that points toward the direction in which the baseball was hit.

For example, when a ball is hit to the opposite field, the batters "Button" should point or be directed toward the opposite field when the swing is completed. If a batter pulls an inside pitch, the belly button should follow the ball and point toward the direction in which the ball was hit.

Coaching Point: For right and left handed batters, if the ball is hit through the box, up the middle, the belly button should "shine" or point toward second base when the swing is complete. For right handed batter, is a ball is pulled, the belly button should finish pointing toward third base. If a right handed batter hits the baseball down the right field line, the button should point toward first base when the swing is completed. If a left handed batter pulls the baseball, the hips should turn completely and the button should finish pointing at first base. If a left handed batter hits the ball to left field, the hips should turn less and the belly button should finish the swing pointing the 5-6 hole or between 3rd and 2nd base.

I hope that you found this article to be informative and helpful. Thanks for taking the time to read it. I wish you and your team good luck this season! Have a great day, Nick.

The CoachesBest Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.

Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon

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The Categories they have are: Baseball Training Equipment, Youth Baseball Training Equipment, Training Bats, Pitching & Throwing Trainers, Defensive Trainers, Batting Cages, Pitching Machines, Jugs Equipment, Game and Practice Baseballs, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, Portable Pitching Mounds, Baseball DVDs & Books, Clearance Items on Sales, BatAction Hitting Machines, Hurricane Hitting Machines, NEDCO Bataction Replacement Parts, SKLZ Hurricane Replacement Parts and Much Much More! Visit Baseball2U.com today!
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Hustle and Increasing Your Baseball Performance

Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine
By Nate Barnett

I work weekly with a 10U baseball club up here in Washington. Recently, they had a rough couple games with countless mental errors, lack of hustle and focus. Part of the deal is that they are 10 years old so some of that is to be expected. However, at practice the coach wanted me to work the magic and improve their overall hustle and focus pitch to pitch. The following is the email I sent to the coach about what we had gone over tonight at practice. If you have a young player, this is well worth helping him with.

Hi Coach,

Here is the stuff we worked on tonight. The boys looked good and caught on quickly.

1. In and out of the dugout in a "crisp" manner. This means once the last out is made the guys are hustling to their positions or back to the dugout. This will be particularly difficult when the guys are struggling with a recent mistake. But, as we talked about tonight, getting the body moving will help the brain recover!

2. At the beginning of the game, the SS and the CF will select a location in the dugout for all of the infielders and outfielders respectively to place their gloves and hats when they go out to hit. This way when the third out is made the guys on the bench will bring the glove/hat out to the players who are left on base. This will help out with guys getting to their positions quickly and ready for the next inning.

3. Each time there is a new hitter the infielders will turn around and face the outfielders and tell them how many outs there are. The outfielders will in turn return the outs call back to the infielders. This will keep everyone alert and in the game. Less mental errors are made when there is no confusion over outs.

4. As each pitch crosses the plate it's highly important that all players ready themselves. We talked about the two-step approach. As the pitcher begins to move in his delivery, the fielders move as well into their ready position with their glove out in front. Once the pitch has crossed the plate, the guys can move back to their starting position and get ready for the next pitch. This constant movement will help players stay focused as they are physically having to prepare themselves for the next pitch.

Nate Barnett is co-owner of The Pitching Academy.

You can find The Pitching Academy's articles, blog, and videos on baseball psychology, pitching mechanics, and hitting mechanics when you visit the website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nate_Barnett

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Coaching Baseball; Recommended Baseball Articles for Coaches

Coaching Baseball; Recommended Baseball Articles for Coaches


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Have a Great Weekend! Good luck to you and your team if you are playing. Here are some recommended baseball coaching articles for baseball coaches. Nick Dixon
Coaching Little League Baseball - Bad Habits Make For Bad Coaching

Article discusses 10 bad habits of bad Little League Coaches. These bad habits make it impossible for a coach to be an effective coach and role model.


Coaching Youth Baseball - Coaching Your First Baseman

Here are important points and skills that you must teach your First Baseman. Tips cover teaching the proper way to get to the bag, set up to receive the throw and how to stretch.


Baseball Coaching Digest - Stop and See - 1st & 3rd Double Steal Base Running Play

This 1st and 3rd Double Steal Play known as the Stop and See Steal. This play is used by offensive teams to score a runner from 3rd base by stopping the stealing runner short of the bag and tag.


Baseball Coaching Digest - Fake 3rd Out Defensive Trick

The Fake 3rd Out is a trick play ran by defensive teams to trick an unsuspecting base runner. If the base runner is not alert and aware, he may step off the bag and give the defensive team a cheap out to end the inning. Coaches should make their players aware of sure plays and tactics to prevent this trick from happening to their team.


Baseball Coaching Digest - Illegal Use of the Courtesy Runner Rule

Baseball coaches must be alert for one way that opposing offensive teams may illegally use the Courtesy Runner or Speed-Up rule. How does a team illegally use a courtesy runner? Here is the procedure outlined:


Baseball Coaching and the Importance of Goals For Team and Player Motivation

There are very few volunteer jobs more challenging, time-consuming or rewarding than being a coach in your local league. There are many four letter words used by coaches that I can not use here. Here I want to discuss the 4 four-letter words that can and will determine the amount of success a coach has during the coming season. The four words are Goal, Plan, Work and Time.




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Baseball Swing Secrets to Learning the Right Mechanics Quickly!

By Joey Myers

The perfect baseball swing is like poetry in motion...watching Joe Mauer, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriquez, or Manny Ramirez hit leaves anyone with an awe that is indescribable. They've taken hundreds of thousands of cuts to create such a beautiful swing with such devastating impact on pitchers.

But, do you really have that kind of time with:


The new season coming up?
A big tournament being a week from now? or maybe you
Have to get ready for a big scouting showcase?

What you need is to SUPER-learn the baseball swing, like, yesterday!

Well, this article will go into what it's going to take to do just that. Doing the following will not make your swing perfect , it never will be, but you'll be able to take the information from the Smart Hitting Tips tab on the navigation bar, do what's prescribed here, and have a helluva showing.

Most of the following tips are hard rooted in research based on state-of-the-art Neuroscience and Exercise Science practice & theory...

This isn't a get hits quick scheme either, and will take A LOT of work, 2,000+ reps a week to be exact, but you'll train your brain and body to harmonize, building to successful baseball swing execution.

Ready?? Hold your horses...First,

You must create a time-line...when do you want to accomplish this? In a week (recommended, at least)? or 2? A month? Decide that first, then move on to the following Steps...

STEP 1: Make Small Circles

Start off slow with one concept, two at most, a day and breakdown each and every movement by going in extremely slow motion. You're brain is like a record...the more you do a movement, the more the needle wears the grooves on the surface of the vinyl... the more reps you do, the deeper and more solid the grooves.

Be careful because it can also work against you, by doing the movement wrong, so start off slow the right way, then speed up.

STEP 2: Balancing Act

Using the Balance & Reach Drill a foot or two off the ground will cause your brain to engage more muscles to stabilize the whole body, and the more you engage the Central Nervous System, the more muscles get recruited, and the faster your body picks up the technique.

Also, doing regular swings on an unstable surface, like on a narrow cushiony weight bench, diving board, exercise bose ball, or with eyes closed, the better off you'll be in record time.

STEP 3: Reps Before Bed

Studies have shown going through the motions before bedtime helps to burn them into your brain better. It has to do with the Four Stages of REM Sleep ...major repairs, both physically and cerebrally, go on in the 3rd and 4th Stages of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. If you don't get to the last two stages, then your body doesn't repair itself, which leads us to the next Step...

STEP 4: Set Alarm for 4.5 Hours

In order to speed up the learning process for developing an effective baseball swing, you have to take advantage of two sets of REM sleep. Do your swing repetitions before bed, set your alarm clock for 4.5 hours, wake up and do more reps, then finish off your sleep or the next REM cycle.

What this does is complete one cycle of REM (all 4 stages), then reset your body (by waking up) for another round, deepening those grooves in the brain. By doing this you're 50% more likely to make "stick" the desired technique.

All this can be possible if you...

STEP 5: Do NOT Eat Carbohydrates Past 6pm

Eating enough Carbs to spike your insulin, anytime past 6pm will keep you from getting to Stage 3 & 4 of REM sleep. Our natural occurring human growth hormones (HGH) get released in those stages of sleep ONLY, to repair the body. To allow that to happen, we have to chill out on the Carbs after hours.

And most importantly for your baseball swing, not only will you not repair and heal, but learning is dampened and your immune system crashes.

Last but not least,

STEP 6: Hyper-Computing for Cadence

Once we get a handle on all of the above baseball swing hyper-learning points, now we can speed up our micro processors. By doing this, we train the Central Nervous system by speeding up our motion to get the proper tempo or cadence.

Key point: do NOT attempt this until you have a solid handle on the proper form and movement first.

Speeding up the process of a particular part of the swing helps to deepen the specific movement groove in the brain, so when you engage the correct tempo, the movement is more natural.

You have to exaggerate a technique (in this case, speeding up the cadence), to get the right motion.

This is also great training for combating fast tempo pitchers, who when you step in the batter's box and look up, the pitch is already on its way.

The bottom line about HYPER-learning the baseball swing?

For these 6 Steps to be effective, you have to take between 1,200 to 2,000 repetitions a week...the RIGHT reps. Remember, wearing grooves in your brain can work for OR against you. Keep in mind, with that amount of swings in a small time-frame, you're going to develop blisters and sore muscles. Try and work through them, but if it comes to the sacrifice of good form, then stop, let them heal, and get back on the horse.

To Hyper-Heal sore muscles, do what the Soviet athletes did in the 80-90's, ice the sore spots for 5 minutes, then plunge into a hot bath or spa for 15 minutes, and repeat the process a couple times. This sequence also helps your body release melatonin, which will aid in putting you to sleep.

For blisters, drain them, but don't cut away the whole dead skin blister layer for a couple days...put antibiotic ointment between the dead and raw skin, and cover with a band-aid & athletic tape. They also have blister spray skin toughener, which you may want to look into...it burns like hell for a moment, but makes it so you can hit again with virtually no pain.

We hope you enjoyed this baseball swing article, remember we're always adding content, so please subscribe to the RSS feed, blog, and/or The Dugout Newsletter to stay up-to-date with the latest baseball hitting information.

My name is Joey Myers, and I played 18 total years of baseball finishing my career after my fourth year of college (2000-2003) as a Fresno State Bulldog (the 2008 College World Series Champions). I'm very grateful for the success I had at Bullard High School, and getting a scholarship to play at a Division I university, Fresno State, where I started 110 out of the 178 games I played, in the outfield. Now I devote most of my life to baseball swing coaching and personal fitness training. My websites are http://www.swing-smarter-baseball-hitting-drills.com/ and http://www.corecreationsonline.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joey_Myers

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Baseball Tips - Young Catchers Stick With It!

By Chico Reese

Life as a Little League or Pony League catcher can be tough. You can read baseball tips on this, baseball tips on that, do drill for this and train for that. Listen to this person, listen to that person. Try this and try that.

But still, you find yourself not throwing many people out in games. It seems like there are always balls getting by you and going back to the backstop. You may have gotten whacked way more times than you'd like by wild pitches. Long games and hot games. Is catching really worth it?

Well, fear not young catchers! Here are a few baseball tips and advice for you on why you should hang in there if you really like catching.

Right now at your age in Little League or Pony League there are things going on that you really have no control over. This makes catching seem impossible at times. It can be discouraging to young catchers because at this age and in these leagues success doesn't come often. You're not throwing a lot of people out, balls are flying everywhere (and hitting you) and you many times feel like you're the catcher only because no one else is stupid enough to do it. Well, those things may be true right now, but here are some things to consider:


In Little League and Pony League the bases are pretty short. When someone takes off, you're relying on a good pitch from the pitcher, a perfect throw from you and a perfect catch and tag from the second baseman or shortstop. These things don't happen routinely in Little League and are just getting better in Pony League.
Kids are bigger, stronger and faster these days. Look at the Little League World Series this year. They moved the fence back a good distance because the home runs keep increasing and there are just too many. (yes, those high tech bats played a role too!) My point is, the bases are short and there are a lot of fast runners. This is not a good combination for throwing runners out.
Many young pitchers at these ages throw a lot of balls and wild pitches. You need good pitches to have any chance at all of throwing someone out. Wild pitches and runners advancing easily can be discouraging You can catch, but you can't pitch and catch. So you are at the mercy of the pitcher too.
Young pitchers don't always know how to hold runners well or perform good pick-off moves to keep runners honest. Watch a Pony League game sometime. Smart runners will be more than half way down to second base by the time the catcher gets the ball. There's nothing you can do here. Just do your best.

So if you are a young catcher and get a little bit discouraged from time to time, remember these baseball tips and keep your head up.

You can't control the pitched ball. It's going to go where it's going to go. What you need to do is become very, very good at blocking the ball. So what if you don't pop up and throw the runner out. That time will come. Just focus on becoming a technically good blocking catcher. This will always make you stand out from other catchers and this becomes even more true as you get older.

Throwing runners out? If it happens, great! But, what you want to do is develop fast, correct footwork instead of worrying too much about how many people you throw out. Learn correct footwork and practice it over and over and develop a technically correct delivery to second base. Wait and see what happens once the bases become 90 feet apart. You'll be amazed.

Work on other things like:


Handling bunts, or choppers in front of the plate
Footwork to block home plate on throws from the outfield. Again, the Little League World Series had great plays at home this year.
Handling passed balls

Also, and very important, work on that thing sitting on top of your shoulders! Be confident, know that you are a good catcher and believe in yourself and your ability.

When those bases become 90 feet apart, the whole game changes for catchers. If you really worked on being technically good, fast feet and good delivery, you'll throw a lot of people out because now your pitchers and fielders are also much better.

Block everything. People will notice you for this. This will separate you from other catchers. This is true right into High School. Lazy catchers who won't block balls will sit at that point, regardless of their arm strength.

Consider these baseball tips that you've just read young catchers. Stick with it. It will pay off and catching will become a lot more fun once the bases are 90 feet. Just be ready and prepared with your skills when this time comes. And when it does, those same kids that might have thought you were stupid for catching years ago will look to you for the big play, the bases loaded block of a wild pitch, or the big throw that turns the game around. This is when you'll realize that it was all worth it...being a catcher. The BEST position to play!

Chico Reese has been closely involved in youth baseball, softball and High School Baseball over the last twelve years and enjoys working with young catchers.

For excellent Catching instruction, drills, training and other valuable baseball tips, consider the following sources:

Catchers Instruction, Training and Tips

http://baseballcatcher.baseballgloverestore.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chico_Reese

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Tips For Hitting In Youth Baseball

By Brian McClure

How did Babe Ruth, Micky Mantle Blast the Ball farther than Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa?

Batting drills can be fun, practice has to be done but in the long run hands, wrists, and forearms need to be strong to develop a quick swing and result in hitting the ball hard. This will not only help your child or team hit the ball harder with more control of the bat , but also prepare them for high school baseball. Here is a simple inexpensive way to do just that.

1) Tennis Ball - Have some tennis balls around the house and especially in your childsroom. While your youth baseball player is watching t.v. or waiting on his turn to play a video game he can be squeezing the tennis ball building the muscles on the hand , wrist , and forearms .

Sure you can buy exercise equipment for this but don't waste the money. This will provide enough resistance for what your child or team needs to develop.

(Bonus) Wrist roller - You can also take a rod (old broomstick handle will work) The rod needs to be 15 or 16 inches long with a hole drilled in the middle. Take some thin rope, run one end thruough the hole and tie a knot or two in it so it will not fall through. Leave a few inches past the rope for adjustments later. Take the other end and tie to a brick or weight. The rope should be long enough the weighted object rests on the ground but will lift when the youth baseball player rolls his wrists. The youth baseball player will hold the rod palms up and rolls his wrists. This mechanism is adjustable with the rope as the child grows
or you can tie on different weights.

2) Repetition - Simply put, It takes swings. Hitting off the tee, Soft Toss and some live batting practice. These three can be done at home or at off practice times to increase hitting performance. As a coach of youth baseball practice it would be great to set up one day just for hitting and have some volunteers help and move kids from stations. A tee station. A soft Toss station, a live free hitting station.

Coaches, be sure and tell your kids and parents about the tennis ball. Several will do it. And if you do a repetition station day and tell the parents this is what they can work on at home..many will do that. After all everyone loves to hit the ball, or at least see their son do it. This will be a great step toward the coaches team (or your child) hitting the ball.

For more free Free youth baseball tips & drills

Author- Brian McClure
More about helping your child in youth baseball as a parent or coach?
http://www.coaching-youth-baseball.com/

See our complete list of Topics and articles on youth baseball here
http://www.coaching-youth-baseball.com/topics.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_McClure


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Baseball Training For Power Hitting

By Vic Read

Watching a 5' 8", 160 pound shortstop hit a 400 foot bomb is always amazing. Sure, the 6' 4", 235 pound first baseman has the natural strength to put the ball out of the yard, but how does the smaller player do it? What does he possess to produce such power? And how do some larger players consistently hit for distance, while others just have the occasional home run?

The three main components to hitting the baseball consistently and for distance are:

1. Proper mechanics - feet comfortably spread apart, hands back, and a smooth transfer from load to swing.
2. Good eye-hand coordination - seeing the ball all the way in and watching the ball hit the bat.
3. Good bat speed - the faster the bat, the faster the ball flies out.

Each one of these components can be improved upon by every baseball player.

1. Proper Mechanics - Watch some major league games and check out the different styles of batting stance. Then grab a bat and see what is most comfortable for you. Being tense at the plate cuts down on your reaction time. And when that fastball is coming in, you have to be relaxed and ready to release the perfect swing. Once you have found a stance you like, go hit off the tee and then take some cuts at a batting cage and continue to refine your mechanics. Once you like your stance, then do some research and learn about loading up, staying back on the ball and swinging thru the pitch.

2. Good eye-hand coordination - soft toss, which is hitting a ball into a net when tossed by someone from a short distance, is a good tool to work on and improve your eye-hand coordination. Have the person toss the ball at different angles and different locations. Start off with slow tosses, and then increase the speed.

3. Good bat speed - there are many methods to help improve your bat speed. Try using a heavier bat or a wood bat during practice or in the cages. Swing off the tee using only one hand. Take a medicine ball, hold it out in front of you and rotate your hands like you were swinging a bat. The idea is to get your hands and hips moving faster to strike the ball at a greater speed.

Once you find that comfortable batting stance, and you have worked on the eye-hand drills, and you have improved your bat speed, than take a 100 swings a day. It can be off a tee, during soft toss, in a cage, or just in the backyard swinging at the air. But take a 100 good swings a day to make your swing as natural as breathing.

After my many years of coaching, watching and traveling to out of town baseball games, I decided to share my baseball tips and stories that I have learned and experienced along the way. To check out more articles that I have written, please visit my website at http://baseballknowledge.info.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vic_Read

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The DANGERS OF STEROIDS

The Baseball 2Day Coaching Journal has recommeded reading and articles on the The DANGERS OF STEROIDS.

While baseball players are constantly being told to improve strength, power, and speed, it is extremely important that they resist the temptation to use steroids.

Too many student/athletes go for the "easy fix" by using anabolic steroids without any knowledge of the serious problems that occur. Doctors have attributed over 70 side effects including, impotence, acne, water retention, aggression, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, palpitations, jaundice, and death.

Not only are steroids extremely harmful to your health, but they are also banned by the NCAA along with a list of other drugs and supplements. This list also includes steroid replacements like DHEA, androstenedione, and norandrostenedione.

Click Here for More Info.

Baseball Tips - This Problem May Be Causing That Hitting Slump

By Tom Read

Hitting the baseball is tough. You need to have a good batting stance, correct placement of the hands, good eye hand coordination, a good read on the type of pitch, and good body movement through the ball. And as the old saying goes, you are trying to hit a round ball square with a round bat. So when you go into a batting slump, which part of this equation is failing you?

This is a story I like to tell. My young son was in a bating slump like never before. He had gone from hitting the ball all over the field, to striking out at every plate appearance. Of course he was frustrated. This had never happened to him in his young career. So he and I started to take a look at each part of his swing.

His coach was also very helpful. He pitched extra batting practice to my son and gave us suggestions to try at the batting cages. We tried having him crowd the plate, back off the plate. We tried an open stance, then a closed stance. We raised his hands, we lowered his hands. We did soft toss and hit off the tee. We went ot a lighter bat, then to a heavier bat. I began to realize I was putting too much importance on this small part of his life. But to him it was very important.

Two weeks had gone by and I had decided that maybe this was his real hitting ability, and that his earlier success was just an unusual hitting streak. Then a thought came to me. At school they check every student's eye sight each year, but maybe he needed an eye exam.

My wife was able to get him into the eye doctor the next day. And can you believe it, his sight was 20-100, very bad. Surprisingly, we were all pleased with the news. Can you imagine that.? Happy that he had bad eye sight. Maybe this was his batting problem.

We were able to get glasses right away, and my son was amazed at what he could see. Leaves on the trees were now so much clearer. He was so trilled. He said let's get his ears checked. Maybe there was something he wasn't hearing. We told him his hearing was just fine.

Now the true test, the next game. I tried to prepare him for the worst, telling him it might take some time to adjust to this new sight. But that caution was never needed, he came out of the gate sending hits all over the field again. All those changes to his batting stance weren't needed. His eyes had changed very rapidly, but he had not noticed.

From what I understand, four other boys on the team had their eye sight checked within the next week. I guess you can say seeing is believing. So when you see changes in your player's ability be sure to consider their eye sight, as well as any other physical aspect. Kids grow up fast, and they make many changes during that time.

For other baseball tips and stories, please visit my website at http://baseballknowledge.info

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Read

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Baseball 2Day Coaching Journal; 12 Batting Flaws and How to Correct Each

Baseball 2Day Coaching Journal; 12 Batting Flaws and How to Correct Each

How to Correct Baseball Hitting Flaws is your guide to identifying and correcting baseball hitting flaws at every level of play inlcuding youth baseball, travel baseball, high school baseball, and college baseball.

We all know that coaching hitters involves many actions:
1. Careful analysis of the the present swing's quality.
2. Correction or elimination of incorrect mechanics.
3. Practicing the desired swing with correct execution repetitively.
4. Instilling patience, confidence and agressiveness.

The following are common mechanical errors
that should be quickly identified and eliminated.
There are many more and we will
continually add more.


1. Improper Stance Width
2. "Wrapping" The Bat
3. Looking At Your Nose
4. Poor Grip
5. Overstriding
6. "Hitch" In The Swing
7. "Locking" The Front Arm
8. Opening Up Too Soon

Click here to read this article at the Baseball 2day Coaching Journal.

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Baseball Homework Blog: Free Baseball Articles for Our Readers

Good Wednesday Morning to you. Here are 4 articles that I recommend.
Have a great day. Nick

Coaching Baseball - Two True Base Running Blunders That Teach a Lesson

We all know the importance of good base running. We know that "solid" base running scores runs and wins games. We also know that poor base running can easily cause a team to lose a game. The following two stories are true stories of base running mistakes that cost the team a win. All the team had to do to win was to have the base runner advance to the next bag. These two stories are great stories that you can tell to your players to teach young players two important rules of base running.


Coaching Baseball - Strategies For Facing Overpowering Pitchers

Every one of us has at one time or another, either as a player or a coach, had to face what is considered the "unhittable" pitcher. You know what I mean, the pitcher that is undefeated because he has an overpowering fastball, nasty curve ball, and a 3 pitch arsenal of potent pitches that intimidates the average team while he is just warming up. Coach Dixon discusses is strategies that can used when your team faces a dominating and overpowering pitcher. The main strategy in this situation is that you must have a "strategy" that you and your kids believe will work. The trick is have several scenarios and plans that you will apply as the game progresses.


Youth Sports Coach - Watch What You Say

Volunteering to coach youth sports can be one of the most rewarding experiences in your life. It is a privilege to spend time teaching, coaching and mentoring youngsters in one of the most critical stages of their mental and physical development. Many kids do not have positive role models in their life. Many kids do not get the attention and the discipline that they need and desire. The main thing I want to discus today is the importance of thinking before you speak and the fact that your words greatly affect the self esteem of your players.


Coaching Baseball Pitchers - Two Windup Variations Used to Disrupt a Batter's Concentration

There are two simple actions that a pitcher can use to distract or disrupt a batters concentration. The two actions are the "double pump windup" and the "start over" pitch deliveries that are done to change a pitchers regular windup. Both of these actions are used when there are no base runners on base. They both serve as effective ways to disrupt the concentration of opposing batters.

Recommended Baseball Sites:
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Baseball Coaching Digest - Today's Post
Baseball Coaching Digest: Daily Post Archive
New Articles for Coaches
Baseball Coaching Articles by Coach Nick Dixon
New Baseball Blogs
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YouthBaseballDigest.com
Homepage
Today's Youth Baseball Coaching Feature Article
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Blogs & Knols for Baseball Coaches, Players & Parents

BaseballParentGuide.com
Homepage
Baseball Parent Guide: Today's Post
Baseball Articles for Coaches
Baseball Blogs
Teaching Your Child to Hit
Throwing and Pitching Fundamentals
Buying Guide For Baseball Parents
Current Topics and Issues Related to Safety in Baseball

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Baseball Tips on Hitting - Practice is Essential For Your Baseball Hitting Success!

Batting Tee for the Perfect Swing - AdvancedSkillsTee.com

Baseball Tips on Hitting - Practice is Essential For Your Baseball Hitting Success!
By Larry Cicchiello

Real good hitters are not born that way. They have worked very hard and spent countless hours to reach that status. There is simply no substitute for hard work and practicing your baseball swing. Are you willing to pay that price?

You've got to go out and hit, hit, hit and then hit some more. Some professional players take 500 swings a day in the off season. It's not by accident or good fortune that some of them bat.330 or hit 45 home runs. Maybe that's why they are professional hitters, because they pay the price and work very hard at it.

Back in the 1970's, I heard about a golfer who just won a major tournament. Do you know what this golfer was doing after the final round of golf? He was practicing for a couple of hours hitting balls out of the sand trap because he had a poor shot out of the trap late in the tournament. Need I say any more? This player won the tournament and was practicing for several hours after his victory!

Good hitters are usually always practicing something. If you've had problems at the plate for a couple of games, it's not a big deal at all and "welcome to the club." Go out to the field or the batting cages the next day and work on the specific pitch and or location that's giving you trouble.

It is very important to practice your swing often. The only way to get good habits is through repetition. Unfortunately, a very common problem is players have a strong tendency to practice what they already do well instead of practicing on the areas that they need work on. Avoid falling into this trap. You will be well rewarded for practicing on areas that you need work on.

Let's say you are a hitter that "eats fastballs for breakfast" but low and away breaking balls give you problems. If you spend 90% of your baseball hitting practice working on hitting the low and away breaking ball, you will become efficient at hitting that pitch also. So now, you have become a very good hitter of both the fastball and the low and away breaking ball. Do you have any idea as to what a problem that presents for opposing pitchers?

You have now become a feared hitter because you no longer have a glaring weakness for a pitcher to exploit. Oh sure, even the great baseball hitters handle some pitches better than other pitches. But the point here is that they do NOT have glaring weaknesses. And it's all because they practice what they do NOT do well at the plate. It took a fabulous M.L.B. hitter two years to learn how to hit a "slider." Do you know how he learned how to hit the "slider?" By spending countless hours of batting practice hitting the "slider."

About five years ago a reporter was interviewing one of the best hitters in M.L.B. She mentioned to him about his God given talent. He very politely told her he's not so sure that he was born with any special talent. She looked at him with a look of puzzlement on her face. He told her that when he was about 12 years old, he and about ten friends decided to practice every day at the ballpark. About a week later, only about five of them were showing up at the ballpark. A week after that, only himself and one friend were showing up.

Maybe that's one of the reasons this player makes about 20 million dollars per year. I'm not implying for a second that if you work hard and practice frequently you have a good chance to sign a contract like that. What I AM implying is that if you work hard you will be rewarded. That I will guarantee.

Are you willing to pay that price?

Larry Cicchiello is the successful author of several very user friendly eBooks covering 320 topics on playing or coaching excellent baseball. ANY player, coach or parent who wants to help their child will be fully equipped! Check out some FREE baseball tips on hitting and FREE baseball pitching tips at LarryBaseball.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_Cicchiello

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10 Baseball Fielding Tips Guaranteed to Help

10 Baseball Fielding Tips Guaranteed to Help
By Jack Perconte

Baseball players usually love to hit and getting kids to practice their hitting is usually not difficult. Getting ballplayers of any age to want to work on their fielding skills is often a different story. Subsequently, many kids reach the high school team and get cut from the team. They are perplexed when they do not make the high school team because they have always been good hitters, with many of them being top notch travel team ballplayers. The reason for their failure to make the cut is that they are one dimensional ballplayer who can only hit. At some point in their young careers they failed to recognize the importance of fielding, neglected that aspect of the game and fell behind to the point where their importance to a team was limited.

As baseball followers know, there can only be one designated hitter in a lineup and coaches need to have nine defensive position players. Because of this fact, coaches look for kids in a tryout who are multi-dimensional, meaning they can hit, run, throw and field. With this in mind, parents and coaches should stress the importance of being proficient in every aspect of the game so they are not left out in the cold come tryout time. Following are some tips for parents and coaches to help players work on their fielding skills with the understanding that the earlier (age) they teach these the better:

1. Use a softer ball - this allows the coach to challenge players with more speed and game like balls.

2. Repeat, use a softer ball - this gives players the assurance that they will not get hurt when hit by the ball and will promote good fielding mechanics of getting in front of ground balls and under fly balls for the above mentioned reason.

3. Like everything in sports, development of skills is dependent on correct fundamentals. With fielding this involves good footwork. Practicing the correct footwork from approaching the ball all the way through the throw is necessary, with consistency of action the key to success.

4. Begin fielding practice with hitting or throwing slow ground balls so fielders. This will promote aggressive fielders by having to charge the ball.

5. Teach kids to catch balls correctly - glove hand only (one handed) for balls they reach for and two hands for balls within their body.

6. Avoid practicing ground balls on a smooth surface (indoors) whenever possible. Players can get away with incorrect fundamentals on a smooth surface because hops are always true and predictable. If a smooth surface is only option, roll many balls very low to ground to promote keeping glove and body low for good fielding mechanics.

7. During team batting practice, position non-hitting players and have them play balls off bat as if in a game. This is especially helpful for outfield practice to get the real feel for judging fly balls.

8. Teach players to get into the correct "ready" position according to the position they are playing.

9. Try to devote at least half of practice time on fielding drills and game like situation practice. Knowing what to do in a game (i.e. where to throw ball, what base to cover) on defense is very important.

10. Remind kids of the importance of throwing, both arm strength and accuracy, to fielding success. A play is usually only half over with a catch, completing a play with a good throw is necessary.

Former major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and batting practice advice for ballplayers of all ages. His baseball hitting lessons advice can be found at http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseball Jack is the author of two books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete - his parenting blog can be found at http://positiveparentinginsports.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_Perconte

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